Top 7 Problems Faced by Google+ Users 5

 It continued to add members, but it’s still dwarfed by the user pools of established networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Google+ has experienced impressive, unprecedented growth, but it still has many problems to address. Users’ complaints about the site have been mounting since its launch. Here is a list of the biggest issues users have with Google’s social network from age limitations to mobile app issues.

1. Voice against ‘Real Name’ Policy

A group of vocal users raised voice against Google+’s “Real Name Policy”, which allows the network to suspend an account suspected of using a pseudonym, mononym, nickname, name that include symbols and some other typical names. According to Google+ Support page’s description of the policy, “It’s important to use your common name so the people you want to connect with can find you. This certainly is a problem for people like YouTube stars who are best known by pseudonyms they perform under, and for people who have legally changed their names to a mononym.”

Google+ doesn’t allow businesses, organizations or brands to create accounts on the new social network. Google warned non users that it would enforce a “No Brands allowed” rule and would delete accounts that did not comply, it also promised that it would welcome brands once the site caters to communications between personal accounts and business accounts. While select brands have been allowed to keep their Google+ profiles, many brand pages have been removed.

3. Age Limit Matters

Google+ enforces an age limit. Anyone under 18 years runs the risk of having their account shut down by Google. “There are associated implications for data and privacy involved.” Sites that use minors information must inform online authorities how they are collecting such data, how they plan to use it and more.

Google+ has raised concerns with the limited demographics represented on the site. According to a report 63 percent of the site’s visitors were males and 37 percent were females. ComScore released more demographic statistics about Google+ users. The users were typically young (18-34 year old) with an average yearly household income of $100,000 or more. “Google+ is definitely off to a fast start in reaching the most desirable income segments, which may make it more attractive to advertisers.

Google+ features apply only to personal Google accounts created with a Gmail address. This disqualifies Gmail users who have a business email account via Google Apps. Usage of both Gmail and a Google apps account throughout the day, can only sign in to Google+ from the personal account. Google is working to integrate Google+ features with Google apps.

6. Blocking User circles

Topping the list of complaints is a glitch affecting users Circles. Google is searching on a solution for this problem to improve this functionality. Some users have issues that posts from users they’ve blocked still appear in their streams; others have blocked a user, only to find they were added to the blocked user’s Circles.

7. Limited Mobile App
Some of user’s biggest complaints about the Google+ mobile app are its limited feature set, when compared to the web-based platform. On September 20, Google announced a huge update for the app and introduced a host of features that users had been pining for, such as joining video chats and searching for content on the social network.

Even after the update, there are a few features that are customers find to be lacking, such as the ability to edit your personal profile via mobile. iPad users in particular complain that the iOS app, which is designed primarily for use on the iPhone, doesn’t take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen.